Single system image: A survey

Single system image is a computing paradigm where a number of distributed computing resources are aggregated and presented via an interface that maintains the illusion of interaction with a single system. This approach encompasses decades of research using a broad variety of techniques at varying levels of abstraction, from custom hardware and distributed hypervisors to specialized operating system kernels and user-level tools. Existing classification schemes for SSI technologies are reviewed, and an updated classification scheme is proposed. A survey of implementation techniques is provided along with relevant examples. Notable deployments are examined and insights gained from hands-on experience are summarized. Issues affecting the adoption of kernel-level SSI are identified and discussed in the context of technology adoption literature

An approach for creating business model for using virtual tools in startup companies

The forms of business organizations follow some steady trends driven by tendencies like the rapid development of IT and the transition of information systems. The application of virtualization and the use of virtual tools by start-up companies are discussed. The article reviews the phases of the business model and software product development. The activities in them are grouped and sample tools for each is listed. Also, the modern form of organization as the virtual office and corporation are reviewed as becoming necessary. In detail, the startup company is reviewed in the form of a virtual corporation with its characteristics. They are classified and areas of application and management issues are discussed. Finally, the coverage of activities with virtual tools is evaluated and summarized

Is Virtualization Killing Single System Image Research?

Nowadays, use of clusters in research centers or industries is undeniable. Cluster usage is typically based on two different models: (i) batch schedulers and (ii) single system image (SSI). In the first case, applications are scheduled by a ``supervisor'', the batch scheduler, according to cluster resources availability. In the second case, an SSI operating system (OS) gives the illusion that a distributed system is a standard SMP machine, allowing users to use standard UNIX tools to manage their applications. Even if SSI solutions are usually more complete in terms of functionality, batch schedulers are usually preferred because of their simplicity in term of both configuration and usage. Moreover, since few years, combining virtual machines and batch systems offer more advanced resource management capabilities, using features such as virtual machine live migration. Because of the latest contributions in the domain, some may argue that SSI technologies are now deprecated. In this paper, we analyze whether virtualization technologies will surpass the SSI approach, or if these two models are not contradictory but complementary. In fact, after evaluating different configurations, we show that by combining both approaches, we can improve several aspects associated to application computation such as flexibility of administration, simplicity of use, security and portability

PREDON Scientific Data Preservation 2014

LPSC14037Scientific data collected with modern sensors or dedicated detectors exceed very often the perimeter of the initial scientific design. These data are obtained more and more frequently with large material and human efforts. A large class of scientific experiments are in fact unique because of their large scale, with very small chances to be repeated and to superseded by new experiments in the same domain: for instance high energy physics and astrophysics experiments involve multi-annual developments and a simple duplication of efforts in order to reproduce old data is simply not affordable. Other scientific experiments are in fact unique by nature: earth science, medical sciences etc. since the collected data is "time-stamped" and thereby non-reproducible by new experiments or observations. In addition, scientific data collection increased dramatically in the recent years, participating to the so-called "data deluge" and inviting for common reflection in the context of "big data" investigations. The new knowledge obtained using these data should be preserved long term such that the access and the re-use are made possible and lead to an enhancement of the initial investment. Data observatories, based on open access policies and coupled with multi-disciplinary techniques for indexing and mining may lead to truly new paradigms in science. It is therefore of outmost importance to pursue a coherent and vigorous approach to preserve the scientific data at long term. The preservation remains nevertheless a challenge due to the complexity of the data structure, the fragility of the custom-made software environments as well as the lack of rigorous approaches in workflows and algorithms. To address this challenge, the PREDON project has been initiated in France in 2012 within the MASTODONS program: a Big Data scientific challenge, initiated and supported by the Interdisciplinary Mission of the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). PREDON is a study group formed by researchers from different disciplines and institutes. Several meetings and workshops lead to a rich exchange in ideas, paradigms and methods. The present document includes contributions of the participants to the PREDON Study Group, as well as invited papers, related to the scientific case, methodology and technology. This document should be read as a "facts finding" resource pointing to a concrete and significant scientific interest for long term research data preservation, as well as to cutting edge methods and technologies to achieve this goal. A sustained, coherent and long term action in the area of scientific data preservation would be highly beneficial

Lifelong personal health data and application software via virtual machines in the cloud

Personal Health Records (PHRs) should remain the lifelong property of patients, who should be able to show them conveniently and securely to selected caregivers and institutions. In this paper, we present MyPHRMachines, a cloud-based PHR system taking a radically new architectural solution to health record portability. In MyPHRMachines, health-related data and the application software to view and/or analyze it are separately deployed in the PHR system. After uploading their medical data to MyPHRMachines, patients can access them again from remote virtual machines that contain the right software to visualize and analyze them without any need for conversion. Patients can share their remote virtual machine session with selected caregivers, who will need only a Web browser to access the pre-loaded fragments of their lifelong PHR. We discuss a prototype of MyPHRMachines applied to two use cases, i.e., radiology image sharing and personalized medicine

Anthropological crisis and education

У статті розглядається криза освіти в контексті сучасної цивілізаційної кризи, а також пропонуються можливі напрямки його по-долання шляхом зміни ряду основоположних принципів системи освіти.В статье рассматривается кризис образования в контексте современного цивилизационного кризиса, а также предлагаются возможные пути его преодоления путем изменения ряда основополагающих принципов системы образования.In the article the crisis of education in the context of modern civilization crisis is discussed, and possible ways to overcome it by changing a number of fundamental principles of the education system are suggested

Ontología moderna: reflexión sobre la continuidad del ciberespacio y realidad virtual

The article demonstrates that information and communication technologies, which are actively implemented in modern life, have no analogues in the past. Reality, characterized by the concept of “cyberspace”, has become one of the main factors of sociocultural reality, a special living environment with which all spheres of public life are connected − economic, social, political, spiritual. Modernity is characterized by the emergence of electronic virtual reality, which significantly changes the language, bringing in new elements of communication. Today, the Internet in some way is a global information space that unites all existing telecommunications and information networks. It is stated that the formation of global information networks has become a direct consequence of computer technology, so the global information space is primarily cybernetic (computer) in nature. The question is raised about the spatial and temporal characteristics of virtual reality and their ontological substantiation, because cyberspace presupposes the existence of a certain world, characterized by the length and metrics represented in consciousness. The thesis about the sociality of cyberspace is substantiated. It is shown that cyberspace is artificially maintained and developed by real space, so it is concluded that it is impossible and inexpedient to study it as an independent phenomenon

MyPHRMachines : personal health desktops in the cloud

Personal Health Records (PHRs) should remain the lifelong property of patients, who should be enabled to show them conveniently and securely to selected caregivers and institutions. Current solutions for PHRs focus on standard data exchange formats and transformations to move data across health information systems. In this paper we present MyPHRMachines, a PHR system taking a radically new architectural solution to health record interoperability. In MyPHRMachines, health-related data and the application software to view and/or analyze it are separately deployed in the PHR system. After uploading their medical data to MyPHRMachines, patients can access them again from remote virtual machines that contain the right software to visualize and analyze them without any conversion. Patients can share their remote virtual machine session with selected caregivers, who will need only aWeb browser to access the pre-loaded fragments of their lifelong PHR. We discuss a prototype of MyPHRMachines applied to two use cases, i.e. radiology image sharing and personalized medicine. The first use case demonstrates the ability of patients to build robust PHRs across the space and time dimensions, whereas the second use case demonstrates the ability of MyPHRMachines to preserve the privacy of PHR data deployed in the cloud

Cyberspace and virtual reality as characteristics of the information society

The article attempts to comprehend cyberspace in its relationship with virtual reality. It is shown that due to cyberspace there are rapid changes in public consciousness and moods of people, accelerating social transformations in society. Changes in time boundaries, the emergence of timeless concepts in the information age are also associated with the latest reproductive technologies of the human body, including cloning, which is proposed as virtualization deformations of the spacetime continuum in the information age, and as radical transformations of its understanding. The everchanging cyberspace is the result of a virtualization process. The most impressive achievement of the new information technology is the opportunity for a person who has entered the virtual world, not only to observe and experience, but also to act independently. The question is stated about spacetime characteristics of virtual reality and the ways of their ontological substantiation is raised. The main spatio-temporal properties of virtual reality created by cyberspace are highlighted. It is substantiated that virtual reality, formed by new information technologies, contributed to the creation of a network society, and the existence of cyberspace is its basis, which affects all spheres of public life.У статті зроблена спроба показати кіберпростір у його взаємозв'язку з віртуальною реальністю. Показано, що завдяки кіберпростору відбуваються швидкі зміни в суспільній свідомості та настроях людей, прискорення соціальних перетворень у суспільстві. Зміни часових меж, поява позачасових понять в інформаційну епоху також пов'язані з новітніми репродуктивними технологіями людського тіла, включаючи клонування, що пропонується розглядати як деформації віртуалізації просторово-часового континууму в епоху інформації та як радикальні трансформації його розуміння. Мінливий кіберпростір є результатом процесу віртуалізації. Найбільш вражаюче досягнення нових інформаційних технологій ‒ це можливість для людини, яка увійшла у віртуальний світ, не лише спостерігати і переживати, а й діяти самостійно. Поставлене питання про просторово-часові характеристики віртуальної реальності та про шляхи їх онтологічного обґрунтування, висвітлено основні просторово-часові властивості віртуальної реальності, створені кіберпростором. Обґрунтовано, що віртуальна реальність, сформована новими інформаційними технологіями, сприяла створенню мережевого суспільства, а існування кіберпростору є його основою, яка впливає на всі сфери суспільного життя.В статье сделана попытка показать киберпространство в его взаимосвязи с виртуальной реальностью. Показано, что благодаря киберпространству происходят быстрые изменения в общественном сознании и настроениях людей, ускорение социальных преобразований в обществе. Изменения временных границ, появление вневременных понятий в информационную эпоху также связаны с новейшими репродуктивными технологиями человеческого тела, включая клонирование, которые предлагается рассматривать как деформации виртуализации пространственно-временного континуума в эпоху информации и как радикальные трансформации его понимания. Изменчивое киберпространство является результатом процесса виртуализации. Наиболее впечатляющее достижение новых информационных технологий ‒ это возможность для человека, который вошел в виртуальный мир, не только наблюдать и переживать, но и действовать самостоятельно. Поставлен вопрос о пространственно-временных характеристиках виртуальной реальности и о путях их онтологического обоснования, отражены основные пространственно-временные свойства виртуальной реальности, созданные киберпространством. Обосновано, что виртуальная реальность, сформированная новыми информационными технологиями, способствовала созданию сетевого общества, а существование киберпространства является его основой, влияющей на все сферы общественной жизни